June 2017, Inspired by a colleague who we hosted for one night during his JOGLE, I thougth it would be a good idea to cycle from Lands End to John O'Grotes. Train tickets booked last April to leave 17h50 10th June from Cheltenham to Penzance and return from Thurso 6h50 25th June, I have 14 days to complete the trip. I have chosen to leave on the 10th of June so I can run the Twos Castles 10k between Warwick and Kenilworth. There is no specific route so I have elected to follow as close as posible Sustrans' National Cycle Network with slight modifications:

NR3 from Land's End to Wells stopping at Padstow, Barstaple and Glastonbury, NR45/41 to Stafford via home and to cross the peak district between leek and Sheffield, then NR62/65 to York, then onto NR1 at Sunderland then follow the east cost around to Edinburgh Via Dunbar (NR76). From Edinburgh NR775, 75, 7 and finaly NR1 to the end via Perth, Avimore, Inverness. I calculate this will add 200 to 250 mile to the shilrtest distance, but should be more pleasant staying away from main roads.

My accommodation for the 2 weeks will mostley be a bivi and my own design bike basher mk2 (OK its just a lightweight tarp chucked over my upturned bike) either in campsites or wild / stealth camping if more convenient. 

I have booked accommodation in Edinburgh only with all other stops as and when. But still keeping to a rough itinerary. With a basic plan of 80 to 100 miles per day equating to 10 hours cycling, with then time to relax, eat, bike maintainace and maybe do a bit of sight seeing... 

Fast forward to day 9, what was I thinking. This is the hardest thing I have ever done both mentally and physically. There is no time to relax. If you miss your target one day the miles have to be added on to the next day. Cornwall and Devon are hilly, but I wasn't ready for how hilly, especially on the third day. I'm just south of Sunderland having cycled up from York. Along old railway lines and river / canal tow paths. In fact I've been mainly off road since Droitwich I think. The route is loverly, scinic and mostly flat, but still tough going. 

The first day seems like a distance memory. incidentally I finished the Two Castles with a new PB of 46m45s. I arrived at Penzance station at around 11pm and cycled to Lands End where I stealth camped. The first day was not too bad, breakfasting in Penzance (yep, the enormity had yet to sink in) then proceeded to cycle to Padstow. Arrived at around 7 in the evening having cycled around 90 miles and climbed 1700m! as I said I had not appreciated how hilly Cornwall and Devon are:-

Land’s End to Padstow 1780m -
Padstow to Barnstable 1562m -
Barnstable to Bridgewater 1750m - 700 of that clime was in the first 20 miles

Dinner of chinese takeaway in Bridgetown came with chopsticks for a quid. They'll be useful in later visits. Whilst collecting my dinner,  I managed to drop my bike and fall over it trying to maneuver it in the street narrowly avoiding spilling dinner. Carried on noth and ended up rough camping in a sports field where I thought there was a private party going on in the adjoinging sports pavillion. Gutted to find out later that it was a pub!

The next night was back to Gotherington via weston-supermare and Bristol. Leaving home, I really found it hard to get back on the bike in the morning (day 5). My plan for that day was to get as close to Stoke-on-Trent as I could, but I ended up cycling round the prison near Penkridge at 1am eventually finding another cricket pitch to stealth camp at.

 
Day 6 followed the canal through Stoke-on-Trent to Leek and across the Peak District. This is where my route departed from the more usual 1000 mile route the reason being that I wanted to visit Sheffield, and Leek. I put Leek on my itinerary because as a kid I'd always dreamt about cycling to my Nan's house. I put Sheffield on may itinerary because I spent 4 years at polytechic there. As it happened I missed actually going past my nan's old house but at least manage to make it to the end of the road that we used to walk down to get to the canal. I would have had to lift my kit over a number of gates and I just didn't have the strength or the time - I will have to return.

Day 7 was fantastic, - best day yet and a massive 120 miles! I started in Blackwell, just south of Hope in the Peak District. The initial part was hilly and took me across the Lady Bower Revisor. Descending into Sheffield I said a two finger goodbye to the hills and went for a tour around some of my old haunts. I met Trevor, the landlord at the Kelham Island Tavern and had a breif chat about how the area had changed since I was last there 30 years ago. Unfortunalty It was even too early for early doors, so I promissed to return at a more reasonable hour.  I arrived in York at around 7pm, dropped my bike off at the hostel I had book (I'd picked up some nifty Bluetooth headphones in Sheffield that I could make phone calls on while I rode my bike), and went to the Ackhorne pub, which looked welcoming on my earlier cycle past.

Day 10 ended in Berwick upon tweed where the basher worked well in the rain and probably had the best nights sleep. 

I am now on day 12 bewteen Blair Atholl and Inverness and I think I'm getting into the swing of things.... I have posted a lot of pictures on instargram if you follow

https://www.instagram.com/markywb/

Despite the toughness of my challenge I am enjoying it, I've met lots of people en route who have been very kind and full of encouragement. Ian in Thursk has donated £10 as I was sitting in the centre eating my lunch and I was weclomed into the Boomers quiz team in The Ackhorne pub in York where we wone a spot prize of £10 which they kindly donated too. 

Lisa and the girls. Mum and Dad, and the rest of my family through WhatsApp And of cause all my friends at home and on Facebook, you've all been amazing in your encouragement and support.

Anyway I can't sit in the cafe in Dalwhinnie eating full. Scottish breakfasts and drinking flat whites all day I need to get to Inverness. 115km away... 

Day 13. The penultimate day. 172 miles to go. I'm all packed with food ready for a wilderness camp as the campsites would make tomorrow too long. I can't quite belive how far I've come. The longest I'd ridden in a day before now was about 70 miles.

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